Monday, February 1, 2010

Busy Week for the Texas Department of Agriculture

Last week was another busy week at TDA. We started off the week in Houston to roll out a new statewide fuel quality program to protect consumers from buying bad fuel. From there, I spoke to Brazos Valley leaders at their 2010 Economic Outlook Conference and met with leaders of the Texas Wildlife Association to discuss the upcoming legislative session.

I also spoke to local leaders with the Heart of Texas Council of Governments and welcomed Texas and out-of-state guests to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention in San Antonio.

Throughout my travels, I was reminded that Washington continues to push policies like Cap and Trade legislation that threaten our domestic food production. There also is an initiative aimed at extending the regulatory authority of the Clean Water Act to include the stock tanks on your farm or ranch.

We don’t need either of these proposals, and after traveling to meet with my colleagues across the state, I feel more strongly than ever that we must send a unified and powerful message to federal decision makers to discourage these federal encroachments.

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